Jim Mork wrote: This ordinance, I think, is just the product of some really ancient and outmoded prejudice. I think our city would do best to get rid of it. If a house has problems, DEAL WITH THEM. Stop trying to prevent them with prejudicial laws. You think houses inhabited by married tenants don't cause problems? If so, where you been living. Not in Minneapolis I can guarantee you.
Bill Cullen responds: In general, I agree. The justification us landlords are always given for this law is: - They often have their own cars, and cause parking problems. - They often are dating, so the headcount can be double. - They appear to always have a party going (constant traffic and noise). - There may not be enough fire exits. - The damages occurring on the property may exceed the speed of repair. - It is easier to enforce a specific limit than one that requires a complex formula. Many of these problems are hard to deal with on an enforcement model. IE, should we tell tenants they can only park 1 or 2 cars on the street? It would be a huge fight if all 8, 10 or 12 tenants have their own car. Imagine if the rental property has no off-street parking! I know some related/married tenants have these same problems -- but it is less likely. The only solution I can think of is to have rental property certified for occupancy just as a commercial property is. I don't know the formula used for commercial property, but suspect it includes square footage, parking spaces, fire exits, etc. I worry that the large number of rental properties would make this solution unfeasible. Unless you trust us landlords to do our own calculations. In that case, enforcement could be very difficult. Imagine us fighting in court about what is and is not a parking space... I am surprised that we are pushing to eliminate this restriction only a few weeks after everyone was screaming about over occupancy in the SE Mpls area. Bill Cullen Whittier landlord REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
